I have had followers ask how I lost all the weight. I usually try to get back to every ones questions in person but since this is a common reoccurring one, I thought I would answer in a post. I actually talked about it early on in blogging, but that was back when I was probably the only one that read my posts. So in case you don't know, yes I use to be fat, and now I am thin with a foodie type blog, go figure.
I had struggled with my weight my entire life.
I come from a large family, don't think I lucked out and inherited some skinny genes, I assure you the only genes I inherited were "husky" lol.
I still to this day watch what I eat. Yes I eat every recipe I share on this blog. I do so in moderation. I also work out everyday, even if it is just a 30 minute power walk. One thing I have learned to do with my diet is not make sacrifices I can't live without. What I am saying is make healthy changes in your diet that you can live with so that you will not gain all the weight back when you go off the diet. I have always found I eat more if I refuse myself what I really want. So yes I eat a little bacon, or a small piece of chocolate when I want it, again in moderation.
So here is what worked for me. One day I decided I was going to stop starving myself on crazy diets. I was going to eat sensibly and work out everyday. Guess what, it worked. It didn't happen over night, but eventually I started losing weight slowly but surly. No I didn't have surgery or take any pills, not that I am judging, you have to do what works for you. Here is a few things that I do daily that I feel have helped me lose about a hundred pounds (gasp) that number still freaks me out, and keep t it off for about five years.
1) Drink plenty of calorie free fluids. Especially if you are sitting down to a big meal, if you drink a lot of water before, you won't be as hungry. I have also read that drinking ice cold water will boost your metabolism just a tiny bit. I enjoy coffee (boy do I enjoy my coffee in the morning) and decaf green tea. I usually have one or two diet sodas a day. I know some people are against them, but I am not.
2) Exercise Daily! Probably the most important since this is what will reset your slow metabolism so that you can eat more and still lose weight. Yes I eat more now then when I was fat. I know people are going to be skeptical of this but it is true. I have read your metabolism is only higher for 24 hours after a workout, that is why I think daily is important.
3) Watch your sodium. Do you know that one fast food meal can have easily more sodium in it then you should consume in an entire day. When you eat out, start reading the nutrition menus and don't only look at calories and fat, look at the sodium. Not only did my blood pressure drop but I know this helped me lose weight. Lose the bloat factor as I like to call it.
4) I get on the scales every morning just to keep myself in check.
5) I keep a food journal, to hold myself accountable, and keep myself from grazing.
6) I eat small frequent meals, breakfast being the largest, then a sensible lunch and early dinner. What your body can't burn in two hours turns to fat. So don't eat right before bed time a big meal. I rather like to have a small early dinner and a small snack in the evening to regulate my blood sugar at night. Yes I am hypoglycemic and found out at the time I was naming this blog. That's me the Hungry Hypo. Since being diagnosed, I do eat more protein and healthy fats, and have been feeling fine, so no worries.
7) They say spicy food is good for boosting metabolism, but you still need to look at the sodium. Maybe make your own spicy low sodium salsa.
8) Don't Stress. I gained most of my weight in college, while over loading on classes and working a full time job too. I wasn't eating a ton of food and I was working out, but kept gaining more and more weight. I think when we are stressed our bodies don't function as they should. So find something that relaxes you and do it everyday, for me that is walking.
I hope that this has helped answer some questions. I wish anyone wanting to lose a few pounds good luck. If you need a shoulder for support, I am a click away.
This post is linked to:
http://vintagewannabee.blogspot.com/2011/05/talent-tuesday.html
http://somedaycrafts.blogspot.com/2011/04/whatever-goes-wednesday-63.htmlhttp://mygirlishwhims.blogspot.com/2011/05/your-whims-wednesday-5-and-features.htmlhttp://christinasadventures2010.blogspot.com/2011/05/20-below-thursday-19.html
http://nightowlcrafting.blogspot.com/2011/05/hoos-got-talent-48.html
http://whilehewasnapping.blogspot.com/
http://ironvioletdesigns.blogspot.com/2011/05/fantastic-friday-18.html
http://www.bedifferentactnormal.com/
http://www.creatingreallyawesomefreethings.com/
http://makobiscribe.com/
http://makobiscribe.com/2011/05/blog-hop-stumble-through-thursday-55.html
http://tatertotsandjello.blogspot.com/
http://thetatteredtag.blogspot.com/2011/05/kiss-keep-it-simple-sunday-22.html
